


Those Cookies

by merriman



Category: Ocean's (Movies)
Genre: Baked Goods, Gen, Prison, Slightly Epistolary, Yuletide Treat, mail
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-10 16:29:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8924182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merriman/pseuds/merriman
Summary: Seven pieces of mail Danny received in prison.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GotTheSilver](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GotTheSilver/gifts).



> I was inspired by your prompt about how Rusty reacted when Danny went to prison.

**#1**  
It was a full two months before anyone wrote to Danny once he was in jail. Some of the other guys got no mail at all and had already welcomed Danny to their ranks when a single envelope came in for him. The return address said it was from one Carlos Rojas, resident of New Mexico. But since they'd set up that pseudonym together, Danny knew it was from Rusty. It contained a postcard with a view of the Andes. On the back of the postcard was a short message: 

> Wish you were here. There's a hell of a view. I'll take pictures so you can put them up in your cell.

Danny knew better than to try and write back to the return address. Sure, it existed, in concept, but really it was just a mail forwarding service and Rusty wasn't ever going to give his actual address to one of those places. So instead of writing back, he just tucked the postcard in with his things.

 

**#2**  
The second letter Danny got wasn't actually a letter. It was a packet of divorce papers sent by Tess's lawyer. So, that sucked, but it was an opportunity to see how the prison handled legal documents. Which meant he got to watch a guard open the packet and make sure nothing was included that Danny could use to cause trouble.

"No conjugal visits for you," the guard commented while Danny looked through the papers. He wasn't about to go contesting the divorce. Not like he was in much of a position to do so, but Tess deserved to be happy and clearly being happy right now meant not being married to an imprisoned felon.

His cellmate saw them as he filed them away.

"Yeah, my old lady did the same thing," he commented as Danny plunked himself down on his bunk. "Least you got a little time. It's been what, six months? Mine filed less than a week after I got here. Can't blame her, y'know?"

"I know," Danny agreed. "But she left me before I got caught."

"Damn."

"Yup."

 

**#3**  
The third letter was another from Rusty, using the same name as before.

> Danny,
> 
> Did you know I can't send you food? I was going to bake you my grandmother's cookies. You know the ones, with the chocolate chips? But I looked it up and I can't do that. So you're getting a letter instead. And a photo. Put it up with the postcard.

Danny still didn't write back. What was the point? He could have reminded "Carlos" that his grandmother had never baked a single cookie in her life. That he'd told Danny once that his grandmother had taught him how to play poker and keep a straight face. But Rusty knew all that and it did make Danny laugh so that was probably the point. He pulled the photo out from the envelope and laughed even harder. Rusty had sent him a photo of a plate with an unopened package of generic brand chocolate chip cookies - just like Grandma Ryan used to make.

 

**#4**  
Of all the people Danny thought might send him a letter, Denny Shields wasn't one of them. Sure, they were buddies and they went way back. Sure, Denny was a nice enough guy for someone who hung out in Vegas and knew all the big hitters. But for him to write to Danny in jail meant something was up. Danny waited until his cellmate was out for some class he was taking, then opened the already unsealed letter.

> Danny,
> 
> Sorry to hear about your legal troubles. If you need a new lawyer, let me know. I'll have my guy talk to your guy. I thought you might be missing home so I figured I'd write and let you know how things are going. You might want to look up Reuben when you get out - his casino got bought out and he's feeling a little sore about it.
> 
> I also thought you might want to know that I've seen Tess. She's looking good, living here in Vegas. I think she's been seeing Terry, or at least she's curating that museum he's got. Anyhow, I figured you'd want to know she landed on her feet.
> 
> Write to me if you need anything - money, lawyers, whatever. And look me up when you're out. I'll come to you.
> 
> -Denny

He'd included his phone number and his lawyer's phone number, so Danny stashed those away just in case. What was more important was that Tess was in Vegas. Tess was in Vegas and dating Terry Fucking Benedict. That slimeball.

 

**#5**  
Letters from Rusty weren't all that regular. Not enough that Danny ever got to counting on them. Months went by with nothing whatsoever and Danny figured Rusty had probably either gotten caught - in which case he would have hoped someone else would let him know - or he was laying low to avoid getting caught. One way or another, Danny couldn't really complain. It wasn't like they usually kept in close touch all the time. That just wasn't how they operated. They showed up on each other's doorsteps with schemes to be planned. They sent each other postcards to rib each other when something went south. They worked jobs and kept in touch through their loose network of associates and cohorts.

Of course, when they were actually working together, they practically lived in each other's pockets, and they worked together a lot. Looking back at the whole mess that had gotten him arrested, Danny could see that if he'd just paid attention to Rusty, he probably wouldn't have gotten caught. Rusty had known the whole deal was rotten. And he'd known Danny was doing it anyhow because what did it matter? Tess was already leaving him after finding out about the heist.

On the other hand, Rusty had never really seen why Danny had wanted to settle down with Tess. He liked Tess okay in the abstract, but he'd always maintained that Danny was being foolish, trying to have a relationship with someone who wasn't in the life. And if Danny was being honest with himself, well, he'd probably been pushing Rusty away too.

Which was why, when Danny didn't get anything from Rusty for seven months, he just accepted it. Rusty had his reasons and Danny could always find him when he got out and tell him he'd been right all along. 

> Danny,
> 
> I've been thinking about what you said, that one time. You know. About that thing? Fine. I admit it. You were right.

Danny made a frame for it out of candy wrappers. Maybe he wouldn't tell Rusty he was right after all. But he'd definitely look him up. They always were better as a team.

 

**#6**  
Just over two years inside, Danny was amused to get a postcard from Frank Catton. Good old Frank. He should have known Frank would keep tabs on him after all the jobs they'd pulled together over the years. The postcard was from Atlantic City. All it said on the back was "We'll have to play some blackjack when you get out. -Frank" Danny recognized the return address as Frank's ex-brother-in-law's apartment. He recognized the casino as belonging to Terry Benedict.

 

**#7**  
Postcards from Rusty kept up every month or two up into about midway through Danny's fourth year inside. Then they stopped, replaced by an actual package.

"Someone's got friends outside!" one of them called over.

"Hey, you've got a parole hearing soon, you don't need that!" another called. "Send it my way!"

Packages like this one were rare outside of the holidays. They were from some company that had cornered the bizarre niche of sending prison-approved care packages from family and friends to prisoners.

Danny opened up the box and pulled out a bag of cheap chocolate, six pairs of new underwear, and two sealed packages of chocolate chip cookies.

"Who's it from?" his cellmate asked as Danny tossed two pairs of socks to him.

"Best friend a guy could have," Danny told him. "I'll have to call him when I get out."


End file.
